Gun-carriage.



No. 718,010. IPATENTEDJAN. 6. 1903.

- J. .P. MEIGS & H. R. COLLINS.

GUN CARRIAGE.

7 APPLICATION FILED OOT. 29,1901.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

' Sn-uznfom BATENTED JAN. 6, 1903 J. F. MEIGS & R. COLLINS.

GUN CARRIAGE. APPLICATION FILED 00T.29,190'1.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'NO MODEL.

IIHIIINIIII E I Suvenfoza as Pu in: 4:0,. PHOTO-P1740.- WASNIN'GYON, B Q

UNITED STATES A PAT NT OEFTOE.

JOHN MEies AND HARRY R. COLLINS, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS To BETHLEHEM sTEEL ooMP NY, OF SOUTH BETH- LEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GUN-C RRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 718,010, dated January 6, 1903. Application filed October 29, 1901. Serial No. 80,437. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

HARRY R. COLLINS, citizens of the United States, residing at South Bethlehermfin the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Gun-Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the elevating and traversing mechanism of guns, as well as to the arrangement of the shoulder-guard and shoulder-piece, and our invention consists of the construction and apparatus as hereinafter more fully set forth, and shown in the accompanying specification and drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a side view of a gun and its mount, partly in section, with parts of the carriage cut away. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, partly in section, with part of the gun removed.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a pedestal of a gun, and B the 'carriage, both of which may be of any suitable form and construction, the carriage being arranged, as usual, to rotate upon the pedestal about a Vertical axis. A gun O is supportedon suitable trunnions in the carriage B. 7

Suitable mechanism is provided for elevat- 0 ing the gun, (shown in this instance as a Worm D,) suitably supported on the carriage beneath the gun on a spindle E, while a toothed segment F is connected with the gun and meshes with the worm. As shown, a

3 5 gear G is arranged upon the spindle E, while another spindle, H,supports gears I I of different sizes, thosmaller gear I meshing with G. So much of the mechanism as has been described for elevating the gun may be termed 40 the elevating mechanism,and means are hereinafter described for actuating said mechanism.

The mechanism for traversing the gun may be of any suitable character, but, as shown,"

consists of a stationary gear J on the pedestal and a spindle K, supported on the car riage and provided with gears L O, the gear 0 meshing with J and being adapted to travel around it. A nut O on the spindle K sup- I ports the gear 0, which turns freely in the Be it known that we, JOHN F. MEIGS and spindle when traversing the gun. After the gun has been trained in azimuth this nut may be tightened, thereby causing the gear 0 to be firmly held, and the position of training .remains fixed when firing. Its further duty is to hold the gun firmly in its fixed position, preventing the same from beingswung around by the rolling and pitching of a vessel, (when on board ship.) Means are thus provided for locking the gear 0 against movement, thus locking the traversing mechanism.

In the usual constructions of pointing mechanism the means for actuating the mechanism is arranged to be stationary relative to the carriage-that is to say, the actuating mechanism, which may consist of hand-wheels and gearing, is arranged to move with the carriage, but may not move independently of the carriage relative to the gun. One of our improvements consists in arranging the actu- 7o ating means for the pointing mechanism upon a support, as a swinging arm, which may swing to the right and left of the axis of the gun. The swinging arm is represented by P and is loosely pivoted to the carriage, as shown, swinging on the spindles K and H. These spindles pass through the portions 1th of the arm P, the portion It being carried upon an extension Q, which extension is also provided with a head having slots q, the curves of the slots being concentric with the'spindle H and receiving bolts q on the carriage, which act as guides for the arm P when it is being swung to one side or the other. Supported upon the arm Pare arranged shafts R and S, they being preferably concentric,

B being hollow and S placed within the same.

A gear T on shaft S meshes with gear L, and

a gear U on shaft R meshes with gear I. Hand-wheels X Y are arranged on the shafts, 0 wheel Y being connected to R and wheel X being connected to shaft S. By then rotating wheel Y it is evident that the gun may be elevated or lowered, while by rotating wheel X the gun may be traversed. It is also evident that by the construction shown the arm P, carrying the hand-wheels and gears, which together form the means for actuating the pointing mechanism, may be swung to one side or the other of the axis of the gun.

The gun is provided with the usual shoulder guard or guards W, and one of our improvements consists in supporting the shoulder-piece Z on the swinging arm P, so that the shoulder-piece itself is a swinging piece. The shoulder-piece is preferably removably attached to the arm P, so that by removing the shoulder-piece the arm P may be swung under and past the gun, or the arm may be swung under the gun and there left. In Fig. 2 the dotted lines show the relative positions which the arm P may assume.

The advantages of our construction are many. In the first place in a small gun it is usually the case that the shoulder-piece is placed close up to the shoulder-guard, the guard itself being arranged close to the gun, and the firer, standing on the left of the gun,

.bears on the shoulder-piece with his right shoulder. On larger guns the shoulder-piece is arranged farther away from the gun, so that the firer may bear on the shoulder-piece with his left shoulder instead of his right, while his right shoulder bears against the shoulderguard. This latter arrangement has been found to be much the best and most convenient. With our arrangement, whereby the shoulder-piece may be swung to and from the gun, either arrangement may be used as desired, and, moreover, when the gun is not in use the shoulder-piece may be removed and the arm and hand-wheels swung under the gun, where they may remain, and thus be out of the way and not consume space. Furthermore, should it be desired, the firer could stand on the right of the gun and put his left shoulder against the guard and his right on the shoulder-piece. For this arrangement it would only be necessary to swing the arm over to the right of the gun and attach the shoulder-piece thereto.

Without limiting ourselves to the precise details of construction shown and described, we claim- 1. In a gun-mount, a shoulder-piece, and a support therefor pivotally adjustable later ally independently of the gun, substantially as described.

2. In a gun-mount, a shoulder-piece, and a support therefor pivotally adjustable laterally independently of the gun to each side thereof, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a gun, of pointing mechanism therefor, and means pivotally adjustable laterally independently of the gun for actuating said pointing mechanism, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a gun, of pointing mechanism therefor, and means pivotally adjustable laterally independently of the gun to each side of the latter for actuating said pointing mechanism, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a gun and its carriage, of pointing mechanism and means supported by the carriage and pivotally adjustable thereon relatively to the gun for actuating said pointing mechanism, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a gun, of pointing mechanism therefor, and means for actuating said pointing mechanism pivotally adjustable to one side or the other of the axis of the gun, substantially as described.

'7. The combination with a gun, of pointing mechanism therefor, an arm pivotally adjustable to one side or other of the axis of .the gun, and actuating means for the pointing mechanism carried by said arm, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a gun and its carriage, of mechanism for pointing the gun, an arm pivoted to the carriage and adjustable independently of the gun, and means carried by said arm for actuating the pointing mechanism, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a gun, of pointing mechanism therefor, an arm pivotally adjustable independently of the gun, actuating means for the pointing mechanism carried by said arm, and a shoulder-piece also carried by said arm, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a gun, of pointing mechanism therefor, an arm pivotallyadjustable laterally independently of the gun, actuating means for the, pointing mechanism carried by said arm, and a shoulder-piece also carried by said arm, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with a gun and its carriage, of an arm pivoted to the carriage and adjustable to one side or the other of the axis of the gun, and a shoulder-piece removably attached to said arm, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a pedestal, gun and its carriage, of elevating mechanism consisting of a worm and wheel, and a gear connected to the shaft of the worm, traversing mechanism consisting of gearing on the podestal and carriage, and an arm pivotally adjustable on the carriage and carrying gearing and hand-wheels for actuating the elevating and traversing mechanism, substantially as described.

13. The combination with a pedestal, gun, and its carriage, of elevating mechanism consisting of a worm and wheel, and a gear connected to the shaft of the worm, traversing mechanism consisting of gearing part on the pedestal and part on the carriage, and an arm adjustably pivoted to the carriage and provided with concentric shafts carrying gears and hand-wheels for actuating the elevating and traversing mechanisms, substantially as described.

14. The combination with a pedestal, gun, and its carriage, of elevating mechanism, traversing mechanism, an arm pivotally adjustable laterally independently of the gun and carrying gearing and hand-wheels for actuating the elevating and traversing mechanisms, and means fer locking part of the I In testimony whereof we have signed our traversing gearin g,substantial'lyas described. names to this specification in the presence of 15 The combination with a gun, of travtwo subscribing witnesses.

ersin'g mechanism therefor, means for locking 7 JOHN F. MEIGS.

the same, and means on a support pivotally HARRY R. COLLINS.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE E. BECKEL,

adjustable laterally relatively to the gun for actuating said traversing mechanism, substantially as described. I EDWIN A. MILLER. 

